Sunday, November 4, 2012

Sunday Serendipity–Flowers

Well, since I finished (mostly) the first book last week, I spent some time deciding which book to explore next. How about a change of pace? We are still folding fabric, but the results will be somewhat different.

I actually got this book when it first came out and making Kanzashi flowers was all the rage. Now that the popularity is beginning to drop off, I think it’s time for me to take a stab at it. The projects in this book are sure gorgeous!

After a bit of history, the author takes you through the steps to make three basic styles of flowers. I made it through two today!

My first attempt wasn’t quite what I was looking for! I started out with 3 1/2 inch squares – because I had some squares already cut from a previous project – but soon discovered that eight petals weren’t enough. Back to the drawing board!

Ah, that’s better. These are the rounded petals. The light fabric wasn’t as firm as the darker so the rounded shape did not hold as well. Those two over at the side are turned the other side up and flattened, but they still aren’t very round! I had some trouble getting the petals to sit straight and space evenly. Turns out it’s harder than it looks!

Moving on to the pointed petals, I started with 3 inch squares this time. On one side, these petals make a nice, clean lined flower.

But the other side is sooo much more interesting! It’s like veins in each petal. I’m still struggling to get an evenly spaced flower, but this one is a bit better at least. Obviously it takes some practice.

And here they are. Not a huge output for the afternoon, but I’m getting the hang of this. There is one other style of petal and then lots of variations. Hopefully each flower will look better and be easier to put together.